Method of weaving pile fabrics



METHOD OF WEAVING FILE FABRICS Filed Aug. 15, 1933 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 12, 1935 worries METHOD OF WEAVING FILE-memos Howard LIShuttleworth', Amsterdam, N. Y., assignor to Mohawk Garpet"Mil1s, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application Augus't. s, 1933, Serial No. 685,163 2 Claims. (01. 139- 401) 2 This invention relates to pile, fabrics'of the Axminster type asocommonly used. for rugs and carpets and is concerned more particularly with r a novel Axminster fabric having a pilevon both faces and, therefore; reversible and adapted for use with either faceuppermost. The invention includes both, the new fabric, which is superior to reversible Axminster fabrics as heretofore Wovenin that the tufts are bound more securely in,place, and a novel method..of weaving this fabric which can be carried on at low cost on ordinary Axminster power looms of the tube frame insertion type, modified in certain particulars. .In the manufacture of, Axminster pile fabrics "having a singlepile surface, it is the usual procedure to coat the back of the fabric with a sizing solution in order to stiffen the fabric and also-to assist in. bindingthe pile tufts in the body of the fabric so that they cannot be readily pulled out in normal service. While the pile tuft I yarns are ordinarily looped about weft shots in 'weaving methods previouslyemployed to,.pro-. duce reversible fabrics of the desired durability. The present invention is, accordingly,.directed,

such away that adjacent .weft shots bind the yarns in place to someextent, the yarns are not bound in place merely by adjacent weft shots to an extent such that the fabric has a long life, and durability is imparted to the fabric only by the sizing treatment.

In the manufacture of reversible fabrics in which the pile yarns extend out of the'fabric, on, opposite faces'thereof, it is. impossible to employ;

sizing as a binding agent, andthe problem of inserting the tuft yarns in such away. that they are held tightly by adjacent :weft shots and the binderwarpsis, therefore, a serious one. Inthe; double faced Axminster fabrics heretofore; woven, various methods of inserting the yarns.

have been employed in an attempt to secure proper binding of the yarns, butthe expedients used for the purpose have been only partlysuccessful, and .it has not been possible with the to the provision of a new reversible fabric in which the tuft yarns are inserted in such fashion that the yarns are bound to a degreexsimilar to that heretofore attainable only by'the use of siz ing, and the new fabric can be produced on a standard loom with certain modifications- The fabric is completed on the loom, and its produc tiondoes not require subsequent manual or ma chine operations to give it a pile surface on both faces. It can thus be woven at relatively low cost and at a relatively high output rate.

The new fabric preferably includes three shots ric may have more or less planes and have more than three shots per cycle. In all forms of the new fabric, each pile tuft is formed of a single length of yarn having its ends projecting out of the fabric at the opposite faces thereof, and each yarn is insertedin the fabric in such manner that it has the form of the letter S, with the top and bottom shots ofits cycle each lying in a bight of the yarn and the ends of the yarn ex-- tending from each of these'weft shots through the fabric and out of the faces thereof. The middle shot of the'cycle lies at one side of the yarn and not in a-bight thereof. The yarns are thus held securely bound in position, since each yarn passes through the fabric three times from face to face thereof and the middle weft shots of adjacent; cycles, when beaten up, distort the S form of the yarns and cooperate with the top and bottom shots to clamp the yarns in place.

.In-weaving the fabric by the new method, the V tuft yarns are inserted wholly by manipulation of the supplies thereof and no combing operations are required. The fabric may thus be woven on a tube frame loom from which the combing mechanism has been omitted and which has. been provided with suitable cams to cause thetransfer mechanism to give the tube frames the necessary-'movements, and the fabric can consequently beproduced rapidly and wholly automatically. For a better understanding of the invention, reference ,may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure '1 is a sectional View of one form of the new fabric with the threads spread apart so that the construction can be readily understood. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate successive steps in the manipulation of the tube-frame in theproduction of the new fabric, and, Figure 6 is a modified form of the fabric in whichtwo setsof binder warps are employed.- The fabric shown in Figure l is of the three shot three plane variety and this form of fabric is preferred since it has a relatively full body. The fabric is made up of sets ofbinder warps 10 and 11 order of insertion may be varied as, for example; 1

the middle shot may be first introduced, followed by the top and bottom shots in that'orderi' The pile tufts are fonnedbysingleilenaths of yarn 16 which are introduced intothefabric. in such manner that each length 'of yarn passes 1 over the top weft shot of a cycle and beneath the:

bottom weft shot of that cycle. The top weft'shot of each cycle thus lies in a bight of pil'e'. opening in one direction and the bottom shot lies 4 in a bight of pile yarns opening in the opposite direction. The middle shot of the cycle is outside the bights of pile yarns. s

In the weave illustrated in-Figure '1, a single set of binder warps 1'7is employed and each binder warp passes over the top of the top shot 12 of each cycle, then beneath the bottom of that cycle, and thence to and over the top shot of the next succeeding cycle. The binder warps pass at one side of the middle shot of each cycle and when the fabric is viewed in the position illustrated in Figure 1, the middle shotslie above the binder warps, although it is to be understood'that since the fabric is reversible, the middle shots might be considered as lying below the binder warps.

The weaving of the new fabric can mostconveniently be carried on in the loom of the tube frame type which has been modified by'the omission of the combing mechanism and by-the provision of suitable cams for producingmovements of the transfer mechanism presently to be described. For purposes of explanatiomthe weaving of the fabric shown in-Figure 1 by'means'of such a modified tube frame loom is'illustrated diagrammatically in Figures'2 to 4, inclusive. This loom is provided with the usual breastplate- 18 to support the fabric adjacent the fell of the goods, and it'includes tube frames of the usual construction, one of which is shown. This frame comprises a bar 19 supporting the pile yarn-supplies on spools 20 with the ends'21' of the yarns passing through the tubes 22 supported-'bythe" bar 19;

In the weaving operation, the tube frarne'f'is dipped through the warpthreads 10,11, and 17 so that the free ends of 'thelengths of yarn projecting from the tubes lie below the wa'rpthreads;

The tube frame then assumes the position-'illustrated in Figure 2 and a shot '12 of weft -is-then-' inserted in a shed in which the binder-warped?" lie above and the stuffer warps 10 and-11 lie below the shot. The insertion of the shot is effected by means of the usual needle. After insertion ofthis shot, it is beaten up by the lay in the-ordi'-' nary manner and the warps are then brought-"to. 1 a level position and the tube frame lowered as illustrated in Figure 3 so that the' tub'es 22' pass between the warp threads. This movement of the tube frame carries the projecting portions ofthe yarns downward so that a bight is formed in the'yarns between the supplies andthe inserted weft shot 12. The warpsare then mampulse/ted to produce a shed in which the stuffer warpsllq and 11 are up and the binder warps 17 are down; 'The weft shot 13 is then inserted' by means of the needle and the tube frame raised out of the warp threads so that the projecting lengths 21 of the tuft yarns are carried around the shot 13. This shot is then beaten up and the inserted lengths of yarn are then severed from the supplies by means of the usual cooperating knives 23, 24. The shed is now changed so as to bring the stuffer warps 10 up andthe stuffer warps 11 and the binder warps 17 down. Inthis shed the'shot 14 is inserted by the needle. The insertion of this shot occurs duringthe severing operation, and after the inserted lengths of yarn aresevered from the supplies, the tube frame is restored to the transporting chains ,by-thetransfer mechanism. The chains are advanced by v one step, and the next tube frame is removed from the chains by the transfer mechanism andlowered to the fabric. During these operations, the'shot 14 has been beaten up and 'the warpszbrought into a level position so that the tube frame can be lowered to pass the projecting ends of yarnbetween the'warpthreads. The

cycle of operation thus described: is repeatedindefinitelythroughout the weaving operation.

The fabric illustrated in Figure 6is similar to that shown in Figure 1 except that there are twosets of binder warps 25 and: 26'. The weaving of this fabric will be evident from the illustration of thefabric itself. a

It will beseen that in the-new fabric, each pile stuffer warps areoutside any bight of the pile yarns and the consequence-is that in the beaten' up'fabric in the form shown, for examplein. Figure l, the shots 14 force the pileyarns in so as to lie partly under the shot 12xa'nd partly over the. shot 13. Each yarn isthus firmly boundin 'position and removal of a yarn-from. the fabric can be effected only with. theutmost difficulty. yarn passes through thefabric three times and the portions .of the yarnv lyingv within. the fabric are firmly held by theimiddleweft shots on either side thereof.

The new fabricds far superior tothereversiblev If the. middle weft shot lay in a. bight of the pile yarns, this grippingactioniwould; not be obtained and, therefore, inalliforms'of the' Axminister'fabrics heretofore made, with which I .am'. familiar, because the tuft yamsare' so boundfin placethatfithey cannot'be pulled out :of."

Thus the life of the: fabric is increased and its appearance during.

the fabric in. normal wear.

use is improved.

I claim: 1. A method of. weavingareversible pile fabric containingstuifer warps, weft shots inserted in": cycles of. at least three withv part of? the shots.

aboveand part below the stuffer warps, pile yarns looped about weft shots and havingtheir-ends: projecting out of i the fabric, and binder warps] all shots above the stuffer warps and all shots below the=stuifer warps-being bound by said binder wa p which' comprises insertingaweft shotiina shed formed by the binder warps; and stuflfer warps, movingsupplies-of tuft'yarns't'o shotagairist the inserted yarn ends, movingsaid cause the ends of'the yarns on 'sai'd "supplles-to' pass between thewarpthreads, inserting any other weft shot in ashed formed by thebinder 1 warps and stuffer warps and beating up' 'said-" ,weft shot, inserting'a weft shot in a shed formed by the binder warps and stufier warps-and in said bight, retracting said supplies, severing the inserted lengths of yarn from said supplies, and repeating the operations in the order set forth.

2. A method of weaving reversible pile fabrics containing stufier warps in two sets, weft shots, pile yams looped about weft shots, and binder warps crossing over weft shots lying above the stufier warps and under weft shots lying below the stufier'warps which comprises inserting a shot of weft to lie between said sets of stufier warps and above said binder warps, moving sup on said supplies to pass between the warp threads,

insertinga weft shot to lie above both sets of stufier warps and beneath said binder warps and beating up said shot against the inserted yarn sends, moving said supplies to cause the yarns to pass between the warps a second time with said yarns forming a bight between the last inserted weft shot and the supplies, inserting a weft shot in said bight and below said stufier warps and above said binder warps, beating up said shot, retracting said supplies to draw said yarns taut about said last inserted shot, severing the inserted lengths of yarns from said supplies, and repeating the operations in the order set forth.

HOWARD L. SHUTTIEWORTH. 

